BEING A TEENAGER CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT, CAN'T IT?

Hi guys! Welcome back to our blog.  How are you? I hope you are all coping, I know these are difficult days for everyone. But, let's see what's positive:  now we have a lot of time to spend on self-improvement, doing our homework, chatting with friends, reflecting on what is important or…writing a new post for our blog!

Today I’m going to talk about teenage issues related to our generation. I’m thinking of alcohol, drugs, violence, bullying, anorexia, self-harm and so on.

Even though many young people try not to talk about these topics,  though they experience them directly or indirectly,  they find it difficult to open up and hide the truth to themselves and to the others.

 I’m not personally involved in any of them  but I’d like those who are to understand the seriousness of what they do.  I’d like to tell them not to continue to live that way,  because their happiness and their satisfaction can’t be addicted to drugs, alcohol and violence forever. They should live their lives day by day in all its simplicity.

 I think everyone has their own addiction or just a bad habit; there are shopaholics, workaholics, TV addicts, those who bite  their nails and those who can’t stop chewing gums, but there are some addictions that can cause lots of problems to someone and to the people around them.

One of these is alcoholism. Teenagers drink because they just want  to have fun or to feel like adults in pubs, bars and at friends’ houses and those who don’t drink like the others are considered loosers and avoided. Others drink because they want to try to cover their little or big  problems but they don’t know that they will get worse this way. Despite feeling more sociable, relaxed and cool in that moment they will add problem to problems.  In other words, it’s like rowing in a river, you go on and  on,  and when you see the waterfall close to you, it is too late to change your direction. This is the course of alcoholism and when people realize that they have been wrong, it will be too late.

Another tunnel to come out of is drug addiction. Young people start with small fixes and end up addicted; It's easier entering this tunnel than coming out of it. Although society has always been trying to put an end to this serious problem, you can get in contact with these drugs very easily. And teenagers are the perfect victims: they think they need to feel new emotions because they are bored with life, or in other cases, they want to look different in the eyes of their friends, thinking that this is just a game or a way to have fun and to socialize.

Everybody knows that bullying and violence started thousands of years ago but now the news tell us that this phenomenon is increasing all over the world day by day, especially among young people because many of them consider the others like objects without emotions, feelings or hearts. Sometimes they feel too weak and the only way they have to impose themselves on the others is by using violence. They can appear like normal guys but they hide a bomb that can explode in every moment. Others are egocentric guys who do this just to upload their videos on YouTube and tell the world what they have done without understanding the seriousness of their actions.  So, to fight against this problem we don’t need to add more violence but we must try to rescue the bullies showing them  how to have fair relationship and how to love themselves and the others more. 

Another form of violence practiced, in this case on things and places,  is vandalism, a new trend that leads young people to destroy everything just for fun: buildings, public transports, monuments, parks and schools.

Another social problem that affects many adolescents is anorexia, and  eating disorders in general. These deaseases are all of psychological origin. This problem involves especially young girls who want to look like models, under the pressure of the wrong models our society imposes on us, and they try to do everything to become like them, destroying their bodies. They are like dominated by this obsession of perfection . They look at themselves in the mirror and, even if they are extremely thin, they always think that they are overweight. This leads them to be fragile in their bodies and minds, losing self-confidence and the desire to relate to others. The reason of all this, is that society, as in other cases, proposes models that don't correspond to reality, for example, clothes sizes are becoming smaller and smaller and often some designers refuse models just because they aren’t as skinny as they want.

A phenomenon that is often overlooked, but which is increasing among young people is self-harm, or when teenagers  vent their anger against the world and their need for help and moral support on themselves, cutting their  bodies. These are people who need help or even to be saved from their dark side,  which leads them to suffer physically to forget the sorrow hidden in their souls.

I think the first step a teenager going through one of these terrible experiences  should find someone to talk with, someone they trust and who can help them to make the best decision for themselves, because sometimes speaking with the right person can help. Sometimes a kind word or a warm smile can be very helpful and save lives.

So, guys, this was my post for March 2020. I hope you find it interesting! Let me know via comments what do you think about this topic. Don't forget to leave your feedback, it’s  very important! See you in April and remember, stay at home!

GIACOMO